A short time ago, the biggest journalistic success of recent years was achieved. A team of 30 investigative journalists from key media outlets such as the Guardian, Le Monde, ZDF, Der Spiegel and El Pais discovered that an Israeli company called Team Jorge interfered in elections worldwide.Journalists posing as customers held talks with Tal Hanan, a former Israeli Special Forces member who heads Team Jorge. In the interviews, it was revealed that Team Jorge influenced the results of the elections in Africa, South and Central America, the USA and Europe. Hanan said his services, which he describes as “covert operations”, are used by intelligence agencies, political campaigns and private companies seeking to covertly manipulate public opinion.
Thousands of accounts managed across all platforms
The company has directly manipulated 30 elections worldwide using hacking, sabotage and automated disinformation on social media. While it was stated that one of the most important services of Team Jorge was the sophisticated software packages, it was revealed that thousands of profiles were checked on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Telegram, Gmail, Instagram and Youtube. Team Jorge underlines that they have been successful in 27 campaigns in more than 30 countries, including the USA, Britain, Canada, Mexico, Germany and Switzerland. Therefore, it is understood that such global disinformation units targeting elections are a serious threat to democracies.Gathering intelligence from rival politicians
The journalists’ interviews with Team Jorge lasted more than 6 hours, and all the footage was secretly recorded. The footage shows how Hanan and his team could gather intelligence on competitors, including using hacking techniques to gain access to Gmail and Telegram accounts. Hanan, who boasts of embedding material in legitimate news outlets, claims they were later augmented by Aims bot management software.Most of Team Jorge’s strategies seem to revolve around disrupting or sabotaging rival campaigns. In one operation, it was even alleged that a sex toy was sent to a politician’s home via Amazon in order to give his wife the false impression that he was having an affair.
Hanan appears to have conducted at least some of his disinformation operations through Demoman International, an Israeli company registered on a website the Israeli Ministry of Defense runs to promote defense exports.
Payments via bitcoin
Team Jorge told reporters that they will accept payments in a variety of currencies, including bitcoin or cryptocurrencies like cash. He said he would charge between 6 and 15 million euros for interference in the elections. However, the price of every operation is not that high. In some simpler activities, prices such as 160,000 euros were mentioned. The price increases depending on the size and scope of the transaction.
Cambridge Analytics
It has also been revealed that Team Jorge worked with Cambridge Analytica in some elections from 2015 to 2017. However, it is not clear exactly in which countries and elections they are working. As far as is known, there seems to be a joint project in the Kenyan and Nigerian elections.
However, Team Jorge states that they use a social media disinformation software called Aims (Advanced Impact Media Solutions). This software allows the creation of up to 5,000 bots to deliver “bulk messages” and “propaganda” on social media.
Team Jorge’s bot management software appears to have grown significantly by 2022, Hanan told undercover reporters. Hanan says he operates a multinational army of more than 30,000 avatars, complete with digital background stories dating back years, and the military is under his direct control.
fake news sites
Hanan underlines that social media profiles controlled by Aims can then be used to spread fake news on the internet. There is even talk of the “blogger machine”, an automated system for creating fake news sites, and the manipulation will begin once you’ve built credibility.Hanan also suggested that some hacking methods take advantage of vulnerabilities in the global signaling telecommunications system SS7, which has been viewed by experts as a weak point in the telecom network for decades. Google, which runs the Gmail service, did not respond to The Guardian’s request on the matter, but Telegram said the “SS7 vulnerabilities issue” was widely known and “not Telegram specific”.
People on any popular social media network or messaging app will be vulnerable to hacking or identity theft unless they follow the security recommendations for their account and take appropriate measures to keep their accounts safe. For this reason, we recommend that you be sure of the security of your accounts.
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